Chapter 3: the Unova Acting TroupePart 1: Friendship is the best type of sweet.

Hanako awoke early the next morning; it was still early enough that Valeria and Haruka were still sleeping peacefully. Valeria was hidden under a mass of covers with Malice sleeping peacefully and Haruka had managed to get herself tangled in the covers and was sprawled out over the bed humorously. Hanako quickly showered and dressed herself all without making much noise. She could be as quiet as a mouse if need be.

She left the two sleeping girls after grabbing a small journal from her bag. Her mother had bought it for her and told her that keeping a diary was a good way to help relieve stress and unload burdens shortly before she left on her journey. She opened the small book and flipped through the pages. All of them were blank, so it really didn’t matter if she flipped through them or not but she still did it anyway. Hanako returned to the first page and began writing.

Everything was still very quiet, none of the other trainers staying at the Pokémon Center had awoken yet, and even Nurse Joy was still peacefully slumbering, so she could write without feeling too panicky.

“This is my first entry into what I hope will be a journal of sorts, I guess? Mother says that I can write in this to help ease stress and stuff. I hope so too, because the goal of this journey was so I could rely less on Valeria. I think Mother knew that, so she bought this for me. Maybe I should give you a name? Hm, I’ll call you Luna then. It’s a pretty name, and I like it. Is it weird that I’m giving an inanimate object a name? No, I don’t think so really, ehehe~”

-Hanako

A short entry, but it would do for the first one. She still had some time to kill, before everyone woke up so she wandered into the kitchen. She wanted to do something for her new friends..

“Friends…That has a really nice ring to it…” She smiled to herself and began fiddling with some baking sheets. The Center had some conveniently left over pre-made cookie dough so she would make cookies for her friends. Hanako had learned how to cook at the orphanage she was placed in; she had also read many cook books, “I hope nurse joy won’t mind if I snag a bit of this…”

---

When everyone was finally up Hanako poked her head out from behind the kitchen door. Valeria and Haruka were talking amoungst each other eagerly about what appeared to be a pretty funny topic, and Artemis and William had sat down to eat their breakfast.

“G-good morning…” Hanako quietly said as she went to sit with the group. Haruka greeted with her with an eager smile.

“Gee, Hanako, do you get any sleep at all? You went to bed after all of us and are up the earliest! Haha~” Haruka laughed almost obnoxiously as she piled what had to be an assload of food onto her plate. Hanako shifted in her seat uncomfortably with a frown on her face.

“I-I’m just used to i-it I guess…” She fiddled with a lock of hair as Haruka took a seat next to her along with Valeria, “I like seeing the sunrise, the quiet of the early m-morning puts me at e-ease…” She smiled, “Also I got up t-to make up to make these…” She held a bag up that had 6 chocolate chip cookies in them.

“Oh, so Hanako decided to get up and make sweets this morning, isn’t this a treat?” Valeria said warmly with a smile on her face as she ate her food. Hanako nodded a small smile on her face.

“Y-yes, the Pokémon Center had some leftover pre-made cookie d-dough so it wasn’t that hard to m-make…” She muttered. Haruka seemed almost somewhat surprised that she could cook at all.

“You can cook?” Haruka said still shoveling eggs into her mouth.

“Y-yes, I l-learned how to at the…” Her voice cut off and her eyes fell to the table, “B-because it was necessity,” She murmured, although Valeria already knew she came from a very run down orphanage, where not even rats were fit to live, she didn’t want the other three to know about it. To be utterly honest, she was ashamed of it. She hated it, and she did not want to talk about it. Valeria sensing the awkward moment coming up quickly changed the topic.

“So, we’re heading off to route 2 today!” She laughed, to which Haruka offered a quick ‘Like a boss’ to the end of the sentence, “So,” She turned to the two boys who were eating and quietly talking amongst themselves, “You feel like joining u or are we going to make this a battle of the sexes?” Valeria grinned.

Valeria awoke with her heartbeat in her throat, the surface of her skin convulsing in miniscule, urgent shutters. A nightmare had been plaguing her for the better part of the night and while her unconscious mind still seemed to be caught in the treacherous battle it had woven, her waking mind felt refreshed, re-energized, and ready to begin the day. It bid Valeria check for Hanako, find Malice's whereabouts, and dress herself. Yet Valeria defiantly pushed these menial tasks from her brainscape and closing her eyes, tried to recall the graphic details of her nightmare. What she saw was so horrific, it could only have been inflicted by Darkrai himself.

A gory image of a massive, ebony beast swaying dangerously over a cowering Valeria cast a look of desparity upon her, and inhaling impressively, bellowed a deep, gut-wrenching cry of agony. Paralyzed by fear, Valeria could only stare helplessly at the gargantuan creature, who had to be at least seven times her weight. The wingspan of the beast, while once appearing powerful and gallant, hung limply in tatters at the creature's side as ribbons of blood splashed gruesomely at Valeria's feet. In a brilliant flash of blinding light, the creature had been replaced by a naked Hanako, who huddled against the dirty, sooty ground, filthy tears streaming down a face marked with cuts and lesions. Soon after the appearance of her little sister had registered in Valeria's mind, Hanako collapsed, succumbing to the numerous gaping wounds on her pale, scarred flesh. Frigid panic and and anxiety as leaden as an achor seized Valeria, and without hesitation, she sprinted to her sister's side.

"Don't worry, I'm here now. Nothing can hurt you anymore. You'll be okay" were the lies that immediately spewed out of Valeria's mouth and Valeria knew it. If she hadn't been able to protect Hanako before, what made her think that she could protect Hanako now from whatever had assaulted her? And how could she offer assurance that Hanako would be okay? Hanako had collapsed from her wounds and now seemed too weak to even attempt sitting upright. But none of that mattered, because it didn't appear that Hanako had even heard Valeria anyways. Shuddering violently, Hanako's brilliant crimson irises slowly began to close before she whispered:

"I just wanted to create an ideal world."

Valeria's eyes snapped open as now that she had remembered, she attempted to shake that bad mojo off. What did she mean she wanted to create an ideal world? Because the way she saw it, the world was anything less than ideal. People, still consumed by greed and the need to expand, manipulated and abused other lifeforms, both people and Pokemon. And then there was that Team Plasma group, whose only priority was to seperate people from their beloved Pokemon. Valeria had heard enough preaching on the violent, botched efforts that were the screwed up attempts of the human race from her parents, so she dropped the subject with herself. Instead, she glanced around the small room the three girls had crashed in last night.

After the fireworks show, the five had made their way back to the Pokecenter to crash for the night. Will and Artie, the brothers, had retired to seperate quarters to commence unknown activities. The girls, on the other hand, had, by the looks of the room, demolished about half of Accumula's food supplies. Three barren, grease-splattered pizza boxes leaned precariously off the top of the television set. At least sixteen, yes, SIXTEEN empty cans of soda lay scattered around the room, some simply drank and then tossed aside while others had been crushed flat. Valeria winced, reminded of a throbbing in her forehead. Oh, THAT'S where that came from. Two bags of potato chips, one empty, crumpled up, and tossed into a corner, and the other two thirds demolished also decorated the once quaint and cozy little room. Valeria ran her tongue across her lips, only to gather an intensely salty taste. And was that ham she tasted?

The ominous gurgling of her stomach, sounding remarkably like a swamp into which many toxic bi-products had been dumped confirmed it: She had just awoken from a food coma. Haruka lay on her back, mouth cranked open, sounding like a pug trapped on its back as she snored. Valeria couldn't help but smile as she stripped off yesterday's clothes, switched out underwear, and prepared to switch her sweatpants out with a similar pair. Valeria was standing in her brassiere and underwear, rifling through her pack, pushing aside debris when necessary, when she noticed a pair of beady little eyes staring at her from beneath the bed.

They weren't the mysterious, calculating eyes of her feline companion, but Valeria wasn't scared. Yet. She loved Pokemon, all Pokemon, and was generally congenial to every Pokemon she encountered.

"Hey, little guy, come on out!" Valeria called, getting down on all fours, smiling comfortingly, as she scooted back to allow the Pokemon room to emerge. Valeria's smile was genuinely welcoming as she relished the thought that perhaps a hungry, wild Pokemon had wandered into their room last night, and perhaps she could recruit him or her for her team. Valeria could hardly contain her excitement as the Pokemon began shuffling towards her. Valeria's arms were outstretched, anticipating the warmth of of new companion, and her muscles tensed as she as she waited for the moment of truth...

A Venipede. Valeria's excitement turned to horror as she sprang back, the upper half of her body jiggling from the momentum. Her back pressed flat against the closet, Valeria uttered a gutteral scream, panic mounting as the centipede Pokemon scuttled towards her. The scream was apparently loud enough to wake Haruka, who sat up dumbly, eyes still closed as she began to absentmindely crawl around the top bunk.

"Where are the twinkies you promised" She muttered, to which Valeria could only facepalm. Haruka, either by habit or from mass food overdose, had for some reason decided that it would be a top-notch idea to sleep in the nude. As she crawled around in her birthday suit, Valeria could only shriek for the one creature that might be of assistance in this time:

"MALICE! CRUSH THAT PEST!"

At this point, Valeria's head whipped around to hear a nasally cackling. Valeria's eyes narrowed as she ripped open the door to the room, just now noticing how it had barely been cracked open. The cackling stopped and from outside the door, all Haruka heard was:

"Ow.Ow.OW! OWW!"

Valeria appeared triumphantly, dragging an immensely pudgy boy with cokebottle glasses and hair so untamed, it looked as if he had stuck his finger in an electrical socket by his ear back into the room.

"I found this little peeping Tom creeping around outside our room." She informed Haruka, who by now had the good sense to wrap a blanket around her bare form. Haruka could only stare at the pervert in disbelief.

"So that means..." She began.

"Yeah. That that little worm belongs to THIS little worm," Valeria hissed, pointing from the Venipede who had by now been snatched up by Malice to the trainer, who stared in disbelief as the little feline's sharp teeth dug into the shell of his Pokemon.

"Venny!" He called out, his brown eyes widening to stare first at Malice's, and then Valeria's brutality as his Pokemon emitted a high shriek.

"If you were so worried about him, you shouldn't have sent him in here to be your decoy!" Valeria fumed, releasing the boy in exasperating. She locked a grey eye cruelly on the other trainer.

"If I ever catch you spying on us or any other girls ever again, Malice here will happily disembowel you 'Venny'."

The boy nodded urgently, and then stared pleadingly at Valeria. She sighed.

"Malice, release him." She commanded. Malice obeyed reluctantly, curling up and hissing spitefully at the Venipede who scuttled, shaking all the way, back to his trainer.

"Now get out of my sight." Valeria ordered, turning and beginning to count to five, feeling satisfied when she turned around and the boy was gone. Valeria shook her head, again beginning to kneel down and sift through her supplies, when she caught sight of Haruka staring at her. After about three seconds of eye contact, Valeria couldn't help but start giggling uncontrollably at the memory of Haruka crawling around obliviously in the nude. Haruka eventually began to join in, until the two girls were laughing so hard, Valeria felt like her windpipe was closing and she couldn't breathe. As she wiped tears from her eyes, Haruka finally spoke:

"What do you want to bet that that was the first pair of real boobs he's ever seen?"

Haruka suggested deviously, which sent the girls into peals of laughter again. Soon enough, Haruka, Valeria, and Malice had made their way to the small kitchen/cafeteria area of Accumula's Pokecenter, though they just couldn't let the incident with the chubby trainer die down. Will and Artie appeared soon after, which sent a surprising thrill of pleasure through Valeria. She had expected them to bail on them sometime early in the morning, but they were still here.

"You know, they say that the early bird gets the worm, Hana, but you got up earlier than us, and me and Haruka still got stuck with the worm". Hanako could only stare at them blankly while Haruka and Valeria burst into peals of laughter again.

As Haruka marveled at the fact that Hanako could run on such few hours of sleep, which Valeria knew anyways from years spent living with Koko's insomnia, her gaze began to wander to Will and Artie. The two boys were as different as night and day, appearance-wise. Mentally thumbing through her folklore, Valeria couldn't help but to liken them to the Gods of the Sun and Moon. She felt deep regret that she had impulsively charged into the situation with Hanako and Artie before really thinking it through. She had only been reacting quickly to what she felt was a genuine threat to her little sister, and she had been mistaken. But it wasn't Valeria's style to admit when she was wrong so she only gazed longingly at Artemis, wishing there was someway that they could bury the hatchet. When he caught her looking at him, Valeria focused her attention to Hanako and spoke:

"Oh, so Hanako decided to get up this morning and make sweets, isn't this a treat?" She announced loudly for the benefit of her little sister, who offered the bag shyly around to her comrades. She hoped that the boys and Haruka realized the significance of Hana going out of her way to do this for them.

Hanako glowed with pride, nodding unnoticeably.

“Y-yes, the Pokémon Center had some leftover pre-made cookie d-dough so it wasn’t that hard to m-make…” She answered modestly. Valeria didn't want her to downplay her actions though, so she took the cookie and ate it in one insatiable gulp.

"Still beats anything I could've conjured," She responded honestly, knowing that if she had attempted to heat up cookie dough, it would have ended in flames, charred remains, ambulances, and stretchers.

"You can cook?" Haruka asked incredulously as she stuffed her mouth with food in combinations that didn't even seem possible to stomach.

“Y-yes, I l-learned how to at the…” Hanako began before cutting herself off, and Valeria noticed that her eyes were engulfed in pain. Valeria flashed back to the orphanage her parents had brought her to to adopt her new little sister. Valeria thought of the children, dressed in rags, some naked from the utter poverty of the place, faces smudged with dirt from the polluted environment, crawling around on the filthy stone floors, shoving bread crumbs, dead insects, and whatever else semi-edible bits they could find to fill their cramping stomachs. Valeria could only imagine whatever it was Hanako had to cook and actually it in that squallid place. No wonder she felt embarrassed at her origins and didn't want to talk about it.

"So we're heading off to route two today!" She announced, immediately feeling idiotic that this was what she had chosen to say as filler, considering this unmentioned fact was indeed unmentioned because everyone else already knew it.

"Like a boss," Haruka added, to which Valeria wasn't surprised.

"So", She turned to face the boys who were still sitting together, eating.

"Are you two going to join us or are we going to make it a battle of the sexes?" She grinned deviously, white teeth gleaming. While the prospect of some friendly competition seemed enjoyable, she hoped that the boys wouldn't split from them again. Witnessing Artie's act of bravery had opened her mind a bit to him, and she was interested in spending more time with him, seeing what activated his unique chivalry. She couldn't forget Will either, who had spent time walking around with her sister when Valeria had lost track of her. She felt as if she owed the boys at least a little bit of a chance.

It was very early in the morning, probable a couple of minutes before sunrise, and William was already in the outdoors. For the first time since their encounter, Will had released Akai the Tepig from her PokéBall. He was having a blast doing some morning workouts and watching the tiny blubber ball trying to imitate him. After a series of handstands, Akai tried to do the same and only managed to end up with a snout full of dirt.

William was wearing his running shorts and a workout T-shirt, which unlike the rest of his clothing, was exceedingly loose. The flaps that at some point swayed freely with the cold morning wind were now disgustingly pressed against his back and upper chest because of the sweat. Despite the frigid air, this region’s morning sun was always very warm; which made this times of the day William’s favorite (and pretty much only) time to exercise. The boy was a very sensitive towards temperature changes, and the slightest drops in the thermometer caused him to be awfully cold. It didn’t happen as much with heat, which he enjoyed a tad bit more; but when it came to coldness, even the slimmest breeze proved unbearable.

William hadn’t packed a sweater, for his backpack was small and such a bulky item wouldn’t be comfortable to carry around… Or at least so he thought, yesterday. Now it urged him to purchase a hoodie. There was no way he would return home, even though it wasn’t far away. It was much easier just to pick something up in the road. He wasn’t rich, but money wasn’t scarce.

After moments less than hour, with the sun already caressing the ground, William circumvented the Pokémon Center and scurried in. The loyal piggy followed him as he pranced through the corridors and on to his room. He was a little bit puzzled when he saw a nerd run directly towards him violently trip on his pursuing Venipede. It was like they were being chased by a monster.

— So–Sorry! — he muttered as he clumsily stood up, glasses shattered, and darted straight out of the building.— Some people are just so weird — William told himself as he continued walking.

As he reached Artie’s door, he knocked vigorously. William made a lot of noise in the morning while preparing for his workout session, and even though Artemis was a heavy sleeper he didn’t want to disturb his brother in the process. This often resulted in the brothers lodging in different rooms.

— Wake up, brother — William spoke softly, knowing there was a great chance Artie was still snoozing. — We gotta get moving. —

The older brother walked into his room and hurried into the shower while Akai, who had seen a bed for what was probably the first time in her whole life, climbed the sheets with her chubby legs and took a nap. As expected, Alcaton cleansed himself with warm water, even though he had read a bunch of times about the benefits of cold water. That was a big no-no. As soon as he was about to scrub his body with his body wash, he noticed he had packed an empty bottle, and so was left with no soap. He had to use the one provided by the Pokémon Center, which was scented in lovely lavender.

Heavily smelling like plums and roses, William changed into his attire, called Tepig to his PokéBall and headed to the cafeteria for a quick snack. On the way, as he passed Artie’s room, his brother sprung out. The two greeted with a fist bump.

— Sleep well? — William asked as the two ventured through the Pokémon Center. Cutting through chitchat, William proceeded. — We got to get to Striaton by dawn, and I plan on spending all of tomorrow there. Bet there’s a lot to do. If not, we’ll just move on. Route 2 is not too long, anyway. —

Seconds before entering the cafeteria, William continued to talk. —Hey, what’s up with the girl’s yesterday? God, women are weird.

The pair shunned themselves before entering the dining area, for they noticed they were there and became silent at a safe distance. The brother sat down almost across the room, and minded their own business when one of the girls approached.

After announcing their plan of heading off to Route 2, one of them approached with what could be interpreted as an invitation.

— Are you two going to join us or are we going to make it a battle of the sexes?

While the latter seemed like a much more intriguing idea, William smiled to himself and remained silent, once again flicking his lighter as he stared at the group. Hanako, whom he had tried to socialize yesterday, Valeria the valkyrie and Haruka the prankster, whom he had yet to socialize. It could be fun. But still, agreeing to travel with somebody wasn’t that easy. Oh no, traveling was hard, and self-engulfed William thought of all the possibilities, including those where the girls could be an encumbrance.

The brothers were all they needed, me for you and you for me. The two formed an impeccable team that needed no one else. Company, however, would be nice. Without a shame, William thought of other things, too. It’s no mystery that at their age, and with their 17th birthday approaching soon, the two boys were reaching sexual peak. It’s not even like he wanted, it’s just biology. Travelling alone with female interaction only in certain towns could prove stressful.

The male struck out of it and smiled in a very friendly matter, letting the females know he was no threat. He was actually excited to make friends. Meeting people is a very huge part of the journey. William eyed the girls once again and then turned to his brother, waiting for him to give the verdict. He was fine either way.

"Bleh." It was a simple, short statement which perfectly described Alcaton the younger at this point in the morning. A beam of light shone directly through his window onto his face, pulling Artie from his slumber. He noticed Sebastian curled up by his feet. He sat up and rubbed his eyes before addressing the small lizard.

"Hey kiddo. Did you get a good rest?" He ruffled his hand along the top of Seb's head. "Big day today. Maybe we'll get to see that fiery girl again eh?" The pokemon glared sardonically at his trainer, and flashed a cheeky smile. Artie's dialogue was interrupted as pain shot up his right hand.

"Oh yeah. That. I'd forgotten about that." He grimaced and gingerly held his right thumb. "It's probably just a sprain." He wrenched himself from the fluffy embrace of his bed, and threw himself into the shower.

"Wake up, brother. We gotta get moving." echoed the words of his brother as Artemis exited the shower. He grabbed himself a classy button-up shirt, a pair of jeans and his favourite white sneakers. He finished the day's attire with a pair of yellow lens sun glasses and his favourite lucky coin clutched between his fingers. The ring itself had no monetary value to Artie's knowledge, it was a prize his brother had won from their dad years ago. It had been a birthday present, a good luck charm to keep him safe. He flipped it for good measure, before leaping from the room.

He greeted his brother with a fist bump and the duo made idle chitchat as they meandered through the PokeCenter."Sleep well?""Yeah, not too bad." "We got to get to Striaton by dawn, and I plan on spending all of tomorrow there. Bet there’s a lot to do. If not, we’ll just move on. Route 2 is not too long, anyway.""Sounds like a plan bro. Looks like you've got it all sussed out. Maybe we'll run into some familiar faces.""Hey, what’s up with the girls yesterday? God, women are weird.""Hah" Artie scoffed. "I think they were just stunned by our raw sexual magnetism bro. Who can blame them?" He jested as the pair found a seat.

'Speak of the devil' Artie thought as he saw one of the girls from yesterday approach the brothers.

"Are you two going to join us or are we going to make it a battle of the sexes?" asked the eldest girl of the group, who Artie remembered as Valeria; the girl he'd saved and flipped off in one day.

"As much, as I love a challenge-" He winked at Valeria as he continued "And believe me, I do love a challenge; I think it would be much better if we stuck together, grouped up. I mean, we're all here for roughly the same reason right? Why not work towards a common goal? I'm sure you ladies could teach us a thing or two. What do you say?" He extended out his right hand, smiling ever so seductively.

The group had seemed to manage to work past their difference and that was all that mattered to Hanako. Hanako watched from the background as she had always done with a tiny smile on her face.

"Aw, but a battle of the sexes would have been so much more interesting!" Haruka chimed in shoving another one of Hanako's cookies into her mouth.

"F-from what I-I've gathered... R-Route 2 is where r-rookie trainers start battling...I-It should be interesting..." Hanako offered quietly, although she wasn't even sure if the group heard her, which was fine, she'd always been soft-spoken and shy so not being heard wasn't uncommon.

"Heh, I'm looking forward to kicking some trainer ASS!" Haruka offered to which Hanako could only offer a small, meek smile

The group set off a little later after having finished their food. Hanako still seemed to shadow Valeria although she was significantly less nervous then she had been yesterday. Seychelles was perched on the top of her head on the lookout for wild Pokémon.

She hadn't had a chance to use her new Audino yet but she figured she'd get to use Elizabetta today anyway. It was then that a strange new pokemon crossed their path. It was obviously a dragon-type, but to Hanako's knowledge dragon-type's weren't seen on this route.

She whipped out her Pokedex and listened as it read in a robotic voice

DeinoIrate Pokemon

Lacking sight, it is unaware of it's surroundings, so it bumps into things and eats anything that moves

Hanako stared at it and could it see it probably would have stared back at her, that is when Haruka let out a determined cry, "Alright, I have decided I want that Pokemon on my team!"

"I...I think it belongs to someone...T-this pokemon isn't native to this route.." Hanako muttered approaching the small dragon pokemon and held out one of the leftover cookies, "I-It seems used to h-humans, s-so.." She stuttered.

It was then that a voice penatrated the calm atmosphere. A voice so shrill and threatening it made Hanako flinch away from the dragon pokemon.

"Just what do you think you are doing?" A girl approached the group, her voice icy and cold, "And Deino what have I said about wandering off?" She said causing the Pokemon to flinch as well.

"I-I'm s-sorry... I-I was just..." Hanako started but was cut off.

"You were just what? Thinking you could steal my Pokemon just because yours is a weakling?" The girl said in an accusatory tone which caused both Hanako and Seychelles to flinch once again, "People like you piss me off, you know that? Come on let's battle right now, I won't let some dirty thief get away with this!" The women said grabbing Hanako by the wrist and yanking her.

"B-but I w-wasn't..." Hanako's voice was overshadowed by the girl's once again.

"The time for talking is over, I'm going to battle you, you little worm and I'll use the Pokemon you just tried to steal in a battle!" And at that the Deino hopped in front of it's trainer and began to snarl.

"...Hey this isn't fair! She didn't even agree to battle you!" Haruka chimed in angerly.The girl flicked a lock of black hair to the side and she scoffed, "So? It's the rule that if someone challenges you have to accept. So by the rules she has to accept."

"I-It's really okay, H-Haruka," Hanako's heart hammered against her chest and she shook with a certain type of fear. She cast Valeria an unsure glance and saw Valeria was glaring at the girl.

"This will be a one on one battle, no substitutions," The girl said. Hanako nodded a bit unsurely and put Seychelles on down on the ground. Seychelles cast her the same unsure look that was plastered all over Hanako's face.

"Alright, Deino, bite that otter into a many tiny pieces!" The girl said. The Deino rushed at Seychelles and Seychelles looked at her for some type of guidance.

But Hanako froze.

All her fear welled up and she froze. Her voice wouldn't work, there was a knot in her stomach, she could feel her breathing locking up.

Seychelles managed to barely dodge the attack but it was waiting for her to give her an order. Hanako just remained frozen in place. She didn't know what to do, what could she do? Seychelles tried to keep dodging but slipped on a twig and fell leaving it at the mercy of the dragging Pokemon. The Deino scooped up the small otter Pokemon and bit into it.

"Osssshaaaaaa!" Seychelles cried out in pain.

Hanako collapsed to her knees. She couldn't breathe, the world was closing in on her. The only thing she could hear was Seychelles cry of agony. She couldn't even hear Valeria calling out to her name. Hanako was also focusing on the fact that she couldn't breathe.

As the Deino spit out the tiny otter, and Seychelles clearly was already taken out.

The girl smirked as the Deino ran back to her side, "Pathetic, and you call yourself a trainer? You don't deserve that Oshawatt."

The girl was right.

Hanako didn't deserve to be a trainer.

Tears threatened to fall from her eyes as she went to scoop up the Pokemon.

"I'm sorry...It's my fault..." Hanako said her voice cracking as she returned the wounded Pokemon to it's pokeball.

The girl scoffed and then continued, as if she had to rub salt in to Hanako's wounds, "You're a pathetic trainer, you think just because you have those ugly burn scars people will pity you. News flash worm: Life doesn't take pity on anyone," The girl scoffed, "Akahana is my name, don't forget it, although I don't think we'll meet again. You probably won't last," Akahana said before gesturing to her Pokemon.

"ARGH! WHAT A BITCH!" Haruka yelled sticking out her tongue at Akahana's retreating figure. Valeria looked like she was seething. Hanako couldn't be bothered to look at the boy's reaction, Hanako was in fact retreating in to herself, "Hey Hanako, you okay?" Haruka approached her and touched her shoulder which caused her to flinch away.

"...I...I..." Hanako stuttered.

"Want me to deck a bitch for yah? I'm pretty sure I could take her," Haruka grinned but Hanako was unresponsive emotionally. She looked as if she was staring into the distance, a face Valeria probably knew all too well from their brief schooling years.

"I...I...I'm used to it..." Hanako finally said, still sitting on the grass.

"No one should be used to that! That is not right!" Haruka exclaimed angerly.

If only Haruka knew. If only Haruka knew just how bad Hanako had been treating, hell, not even Valeria knew exactly what went on. Hanako just didn't talk about.

"I... I.... IHAVETOGODOSOMETHING!" Hanako said in a flurry of words as she got to her feet and fled deeper into the route. Hanak had the tendency to flee when she felt cornered, like a mouse or a rabbit. It was one of her many defensive mechanisms

"O-oi!" Haruka called out before crossing her arms and turning to Valeria, "Does she always run away like a wild Pokemon? Was it something I said?"

As Valeria stood, relaxed into her quite persuasive casually apathetic stance, she fought to bottle in the furious beating of her heart, slamming senselessly against her ribcage, a mentally diseased hostage throwing himself futilely against the bars of his prison. Valeria swallowed nervously, her unease evident only in the momentary flicker of her pale eyes, wavering unsteadily like the flame of Will's lighter before blazing ferociously up again. It was mind boggling the way that this anticipation of Artemis' response was so maddening to Valeria. Why was she investing so much concern in his decision anyways? She needn't ask herself this question though because she already knew the answer. Artemis had saved her sure enough, but Valeria wasn't so self-absorbed to have her interest piqued by that. It was the way that he had defended the little boy and his Lillipup, stepping in without reluctance or hesitation to do the righteous thing, the true thing. Valeria couldn't just shake the awe she felt at his bold actions.

"As much as I love a challenge-" Artemis began, winking impishly at Valeria, who in turn raised an eyebrow at him, "And believe me, I do love a challenge; I think it would be much better if we stuck together, grouped up. I mean, we're all here for roughly the same reason right? Why not work towards a common goal? I'm sure you ladies could teach us a thing or two. What do you say?" Artemis pitched, sealing the deal with a killer grin that could devestate even the most iron-willed of female hearts. Valeria returned his beam, though hers was significantly less irresistable, more toothy, more reflective of the excitement she felt at their progressively friendly rivalry, but every bit as enthusiastic. It had been the first time she had actually smiled at Will or Artemis without using her trademark smirk. He extended his hand, and Valeria gripped it in her own, squeezing it playfully, applying a little more pressure than actually necessary, reciprocating the wink when Artemis pulled away, shaking his hand rapidly in the air to regain feeling in it.

A little while later, after the group had finished stuffing themselves with the greasy delicacies of the Pokecenter cafeteria, the group made a landmark achievement by actually reaching the mutual decision to continue along Route two. In regards to aesthetics, Route two didn't have too remarkably different an appearance from the first Route. There were the same waist-high patches of grass, purposely left unscathed so that wild Pokemon had natural habitat. Occaisionally, there would be a thicket of trees that would offer the group temporary relief from the sun beating down overhead. Pretty soon, Valeria had begun to perspire, and her skin became slick and shiny with sweat. Her only defense against the elements was to remove the portion of her sweatpants below the knees so that she could catch an occaisional breeze on her legs.

Hanako stuck to her like glue, literally moving in Valeria's shadow, Seychelles perched atop her raven-black mane as the two hesitant members of the party scanned the tall grass with worrisome expressions, jumping seemingly every time a breeze rustled the leaves of the trees. Aside from the overbearing heat of the sun, the atmosphere was perfect. The tall grass had stilled, the occaisional cooing of a Pidove added to the tranquil environment, and the well-worn dirt path gave the crew the impression that they were trekking down a little country road.

"Just toss in a little white church, a crick crawling with Corphish, some fishin' poles, a picnic basket with a red and white checkered tablecloth, and we have the perfect setting for the super cliche country video."

She glanced briefly at Will's jeans, her lips twisting into a mischevious smile as she added:

"You'll have to ditch your little sister's jeans first though, Will and replace them with Wranglers and cowboy boots. That shit wouldn't fly."

She rambled on absentmindedly, just as a shaggy Reptillian Pokemon came bumbling down the dusty pathway. Hanako, ever the most observant and handy with her resources extracted her Pokedex and listened to a read-off of the Pokemon, which apparently was called Deino. Malice, who had formerly been curled up in a furry, content little ball now leapt from Valeria's shoulder with all the grace of a Jagua. Arching her thin back, she uttered a long, low growl, automatically suspicious of the irate Pokemon.

It was only when Haruka screamed a cry so loud, a flock full of Pidove erupted from a nearby Pine tree that Valeria actually directed her gaze away from the unfamiliar Pokemon and to the two other females.

"Alright, I have decided that I want that Pokemon on my team!" She exclaimed, to which Valeria facepalmed and Hanako meekly shook her head.

"I...I think it belongs to someone...T-this pokemon isn't native to this route.." Hanako muttered, approaching the small dragon pokemon and holding out one of the leftover cookies, "I-It seems used to h-humans, s-so.." She stuttered, smiling in a purely nonthreatening manner, her sole intention being to befriend the little dinosaur. Valeria smiled affectionately at the scene. That was her sister, alright. An even bigger softie than herself when it came to any member of the Pokemon species, Hanako was infamous for being able to look beyond the harsh or ugly appearances of Pokemon people typically shied away from, more than likely a compassion developed from the multitude of negative reactions geared towards her burn scars. Soon though, the memorable moment was shattered by a shriek so starkly hideous, even Valeria winced. She changed her stance to a defensive one, waiting for a Harpie to come swooping down.

The Harpie turned out to be a girl with jet black hair, a girl who might be perceived as beautiful in a cruel way.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" She spat, glowering accusingly at Hanako, before spinning on her heel to inflict her wrath on her Pokemon, who at this point was standing in the middle of the pathway in a very confused manner.

"And Deino, what have I said about wandering off?!"

"I-I'm s-sorry... I-I was just..." Hanako started, her tone of voice barely above a mumble, ruby eyes wide as a buneary's being hunted down by a Houndoom, but she was cut off.

"You were just what? Thinking you could steal my Pokemon just because yours is a weakling?" The girl continued tauntingly, her rage less eminent as she realized how utterly defenseless Hanako was, but the cruel glint in her eyes not diminishing as she toyed with Valeria's little sister. Valeria's cheeks had gone hot with rage, but she refrained from jumping in, knowing that Hanako's pride was at stake. The girl would really let Hanako have it if Valeria just took over the situation in her own manner, and the last thing Valeria wanted was to cause her sister unnecessary grief.

"People like you piss me off, you know that? Come on let's battle right now, I won't let some dirty thief get away with this!" The vile girl said, grabbing Hanako by the wrist and forcibly dragging her through the overgrown grass and underbrush to a small clearing. Valeria's fist clenched, balling up impulsively as she now shadowed Hanako, wanting to snap the Harpie's twig arm in two to release its grip on her sister, but still wanting Hanako and Seychelles to stand up for themselves. This was going against every one of Valeria's gut instincts, but she had to give Hanako that chance.

"B-but I w-wasn't..." Hanako's soft voice was drowned out by the girl's infernal squawking once again.

"The time for talking is over, I'm going to battle you, you little worm and I'll use the Pokemon you just tried to steal in a battle!" She announced defiantly, to which the oblivious Deino finally reacted and stumbled over to his possessed trainer, snarling hatefully at Hanako and Seychelles as both girl and Pokemon alike flinched in blind fear, then began shaking from the trauma of everything. Valeria stood protectively behind her sister. If that dragon went for Hana, Valeria was prepared to tear the overgrown lizard limb for limb alive. If he tried to harm one hair on Hana's head, Valeria would strike.

"...Hey this isn't fair! She didn't even agree to battle you!" Haruka chimed in angerly, finally shaking herself from her fascination of the Irate Pokemon, and finally becoming cogniscient of what Hanako was falling victim to.

The girl flicked a lock of perfectly conditioned black hair the color of a Murkrow's feathers to the side and scoffed arrogantly,

"So? It's the rule that if someone challenges you have to accept. So by the rules she has to accept." She announced triumphantly, her chest puffing up slightly and her nose rising a good three inches higher. Valeria could also swear that the girl's head had swelled a bit. She was right, of course. Valeria's protection could only go so far. She couldn't get Hanako out of battling this snooty glorified punk even if she wanted to, which she didn't. It meant everything to her now that Hana fought in this Pokemon battle and emerged the victor. That much progress could help bolster Hana's confidence immensely.

"I-It's really okay, H-Haruka," Hanako tried to reassure her riled comarade. though Hanako looked unsure herself. She was a sickly light shade of mint green, her pale skin tinting to reveal her dire apprehension, like a Charmeleon. She then desperately sought out Valeria, like the elder of the two was a beacon of strength and victory. At that particular moment, Valeria was cutting, maiming, and burying the Harpie alive with her looks, but once she caught Hanako's stare, she gave her a thumbs up.

Hanako knelt to the grass and placed Seychelles before her, to which the petrified little Otter stared with complete and total horror up to her trainer. No doubt, Seychelles was just as reserved and overlooked as her human counterpart, and being in the limelight gave her such apparent anxiety, she seemed to be going into shock.

"Alright, Deino, bite that otter into a many tiny pieces!" His trainer ordered. Immediately, the Deino hauled back, his powerful, sturdy body barreling across the small grassy arena towards Seychelles. Seychelles stared anxiously at his own trainer, awaiting some order, any order, but Hanako seemed to completely lock down. Panic and disbelief flooded her wide, innocuous eyes, and she became frozen, statue-like, her lips parting but no sound coming out. Seychelles lunged towards the edge of the clearing, and was able to avoid direct contact by maybe a fraction of an inch. Seychelles, though plenty occupied trying to fight a battle solo without Hanak's guidance, looked hopefully to her trainer every now and then, seemingly bidding her to snap out of her paralyzed spell, as Valeria was wishing desperately. Seychelles was evading superbly, and had yet to be struck, when a bad stroke of luck caused one of the otter's paws to skid across a medium-sized twig, which tripped Seychelles, winding her up on her back.

Valeria inhaled sharply, a vivid premonition occurring as she predicted perfectly what was going to happen next. The Deino lifted Seychelles with little to no effort, and without a waver of doubt, bit down into her plush white fur relentlessly.

"Oshaaaaa!" Seychelles screamed in pain. The Dinosaur flung the little Otter like a ragdoll across the grassy expanse, seeming pleased with himself as he returned to his trainer, who leered smugly, hands on her hips at Hanako.

"Hanako!" Valeria finally broke from her catatonic battle spectator mode of thinking, and in a single dash, was at the side of her sister. Hanako skin was twitching in tiny, almost unseen spasms. Her breath left her in shaky, shallow rattles as, hands trembling, she reached for her fainted Pokemon. Moisture made Hanako's eyes glimmer as she stared in a mixture of guilt and disbelief at her Pokemon. The defeat, the utter shame on Hanako's face racked Valeria with a single wave of despair. She felt like crying for her little sister.

The Harpie girl tutted, shaking her head as she strolled boastfully over to the defeated Hanako. Valeria immediately tensed, putting herself between Hanako and the other girl, grey eyes hard as steel, fists balled up, preparing to fire one straight for the girl's twisted, smirking lips.

"Pathetic. And you call yourself a trainer?" She spat, allowing the poison to spew from her lips and absorb painfully into the minds of all the observers. Hanako's shoulders sagged pitifully, her entire body seeming to bend beneath a weight she just couldn't bear. The acidic language seemed to be defeating Hanako, but was only adding fuel to Valeria's fire.

"You don't deserve that Oshawatt."

Hanako uttered a wounded, half-choked sob, reminding Valeria of a Deerling she had encountered once entangled in a poacher's barbed wire trap. This immediately spurred Valeria into action. Sucking in a deep breath, she cast her cold eyes on the other girl.

"If you have any sense about you, I kindly suggest shutting your goddamned trap. If you insist on being a poisonous bitch, I will happily take time out of my day to exterminate you."

The other girl flat out ignored Valeria however, striding ever nearer to Hanako, wholly intent on closing her jaws around Hanako's throat, on moving in for the final kill.

"I-I'm sorry... It's my fault..." Hanako whispered to her unconscious Pokemon, hugging her gently against her thin, vulnerable form, and then returning her to her pokeball, unaware of the cocky girl sauntering purposefully towards her.

You're a pathetic trainer, you think just because you have those ugly burn scars people will pity you. News flash, worm: Life doesn't take pity on anyone," The girl scoffed, rolling her eyes in disgust, though she still smiled sadistically, obviously enjoying her verbal trampling of poor Hanako. "Akahana is my name, don't forget it, although I don't think we'll meet again. You probably won't last,"

She laughed, seeming to relish the thought as she began moving down the pathway, not affording a second glance to the group as she put distance between herself and the perceived weaklings. Valeria was only vaguely aware of the fact that Haruka had unwisely confronted Hanako, beginning to try to lighten the mood by offering to go after the Harpie. In the back of her mind, a voice soundlessly told Haruka that that wasn't the way to go, that Hanako would most likely be blocking out anything anyone, much less Haruka, was trying to offer her as consolation right now. The active part of Valeria's brain, replaying "ugly burn scars", over and over again, had been simmering from the very first repulsive shriek wrenched from the girl, and now threatened to boil over. Her face was flushed red as burning coals, and she turned towards the group only once, scaring even herself with the fury that seeped from her, already knowing that she would do something regrettable.

The back of her mind registered Hanako calling out "I... I.... IHAVETOGODOSOMETHING!", followed by a flurry of footsteps, but Valeria was already a good few yards aheads of her. The soles of her tennis shoes hitting compacted earth filled her ears with a welcome consistent thudding, drowning out the incessant hammering of her unsettled heart. At dancing, eating, walking, laughing, and flirting, Valeria was as graceless, clumsy, and unaware as a rampaging Tauros, but at running and pursuing, Valeria possessed all the sureness and ferocity of a Rapidash. It didn't take Valeria long to reach her, just as Valeria had supposed. The Harpie had stopped for lunch, no doubt having expended all of her energy tearing Hanako down.

Her resting place was amid a cluster of trees just off the beaten path of Route two which formed almost a perfect ring, interwoven with thick underbrush, several mossy boulders dotting the interior of the ring, one of these on which the Harpie herself roosted. Valeria snorted with disgust at how blatantly obvious this girl was, how she seemed to be unscientious of the possible dangers that could ambush her even on a route as tame as Route two. Her pitfall was cockiness. Believing herself to be the biggest fish in the pond, she was blind to forces much more powerful, and much more merciless than herself. Valeria was about to show her how scary the real world could be.

Valeria stepped out just as the other girl had taken out a sandwhich out of her traveling pack. Akahana looked up.

"What the hell do you want?" She leered.

Still got your panties up in a wad because I beat the crap out of your pathetic excuse for a sister?"

Surprisingly, Valeria did not lash out immediately. Instead she smiled.

"Is the reason why you're such a disgusting bitch because you were picked on in school and now are trying to compensate by imitating your small-minded intimidators, or more likely, is it because everything in life has been served to you on a silver platter, and now you feel entitled to flit around, doing and saying everything your pea brain comes up with because mommy and daddy were too big of wimps to stand up to you?"

Akahana stood, opening her mouth to say something, but surprisingly, nothing witty escaped her mouth. Not quite knowing what to say, she flushed with anger and instead shouted a prolonged "Shut up!" at Valeria. Valeria grinned, feeling as if she were staring at a full house hand. She had Akahana right where she wanted her.

"You can tell me that I'm a butch, that I'm manly, that I'm hideous. You can tell me that my Pokemon is weak and pathetic. Your spoiled, sour ass can even accuse me of shopping at a Goodwill. What you cannot say is that my sister is pathetic, that her burn scars in any way diminsh her radiant appearance, and the she demands pity. You cannot dare say shit about Hanako, because when you do, this happens."

Valeria's hulking form grimly moved towards Akahana, swallowing the ground in tremendous, powerful strides. Akahana looked genuinely afraid, like a Rattatta backed into a corner by a Persian, before she snapped out of it.

"Deino, I choose you!" She muttered, just as Malice launched herself out of a tree directly behind the trapped Akahana, her nimble legs springing off of a branch to land on Deino's back.

"Time for that dinosaur to go extinct! Malice, use Scratch!" Valeria commanded, as Malice obediently extended her claws, sinking one pawful into the Deino's shaggy fur to stay atop its back, and using the other to rake painfully across Deino's cheek. The other Pokemon moaned in pain, as blood dripped from its fresh wound. It was so distracted by this unexpected strike, the Deino charged straight into a tree opposite its location. The fleeing Deino's momentum had been too great, he charged recklessly, smacking into the tree hard.

"Deino! Shake it off!" Akahana cried desperately, but the Deino instead fell, stunned, to the ground, falling atop Malice as she still clung on. For a moment, all was still, but then a determined paw stretched out from beneath the fallen Deino's body. Malice forcibly drug her form out from beneath the dead weight, yowling when the feat proved too strenuous, but slowly but surely made it. Valeria grinned triumphantly as her feline stood, glowering spitefully over the vulnerable Deino who, moments before, had had no problem biting into a timid little Otter. And in the same way Akahana and her Irate Deino had shown no mercy, neither would Valeria and Malice.

"Malice! Faint Attack!" Valeria called out, to which the feline charged, backing up and barreling towards Deino, making contact with the Dinosaur as a mysterious dark energy emanated from her slender, furry body. The Deino gasped, struggling to pull in air, but that breath was futile, as seconds later, he lost consciousness. Valeria remained motionless, still infused with anger for the other girl, up until Akahana took one look at Valeria's cool, stony stare, a glance at her fainted Deino, and attempted to charge out of the thicket, leaving her fainted Pokemon behind. At this, Valeria reached Akahana in two short bounds, wrapping a callused hand around Akahana's neck and lifting her about a foot in the air, slamming her violently against a tree. Akahana gasped once against the tightening pressure of Valeria's hand, struggling to pull in air, but the breath was futile, just as her Pokemon's had been. Valeria concentrated every ounce of hate, spitefulness, and yes, malice, she contained within her to a penetrating stare of the struggling girl before her. Only when Akahana's eyes rolled back in her head did she let the girl hit the ground.

"Get the hell out of here, and get Deino to a Pokecenter. Don't you dare ever think about leaving him again. He's your friend, your partner, your defender. You owe it to him to live up to how great he thinks you are." Valeria said without looking at Akahana.

Struggling to her feet, trembling, expression as bewildered as if she had seen the devil himself, she called Deino back into his pokeball, screaming

"You're batshit crazy!" At Valeria before running fullspeed out of the thicket. Valeria shrugged casually, beckoning Malice to come sit on her lap as appreciatively, she stroked the fur of her loyal companion. Smiling knowingly down at her feline, she chuckled.

"Like I haven't heard that one before" she retorted, easing herself onto one of those mossy boulders, relaxing momentarily in the privacy and shade of the trees.

Everthing happened so quickly, so suddenly. It hadn’t even been a minute after his brother agreed on following the girls that a nasty drama had ensured. Bet this wouldn’t have happened if they had kept it a brother-only adventure

After the newly formed clan had left their lodging area, a quiet tripe ensued. The girls talked among themselves while the boys remained silent, muttering gibberish discretely every once in a while. It urged William to make some sort of small talk, but the situation wasn’t really appropriate for that.

Route 2, a short, sylvan path provided a nice, chilly weather. Bellsprout and Sunflora roamed around minding their own business, and some battles took place in a distance. If everything remained like that, the journey would be a breeze. But of course, some things are too good to be truth.

In the blink of an eye, and unexplainably angry girl leapt a nearby palisade and began insulting Hanako, who absentmindedly eyed a Pokémon. Then, after bloviating and a Pokémon battle, Koko was left in tears. Even quicker, she vanquished into the woods.

So awkward.

—So…— William said to Haruka and his brother, for the trio was left alone when Valeria ran away. —That was pretty crazy, huh.—

Haruka looked to her sides, noticing the situation she was stuck in. —You know what, you guys? That chick did seem pretty tough. I think I should go help the girls.—

William was unsure of what to do. How unlucky did you have to be to encounter such a horrible female like Akahana minutes after starting a day? This didn’t promise the benefits William pondered about a while ago. Did he really want to get involved? He knew that Hanako and he had friend potential, because of yesterday, but in this kind of issues, he didn’t want in. It might look cowardly, just to run away, but this was probably the wisest thing to do. The girls probably needed some alone time.

William looked at his brother, and Artie shrugged.

—It’s a good idea, — William said, not remembering this girl’s name. He didn’t even remember if he knew it. —Please, however, let the girls know we’ll continue on out path. They can meet us on the way there, they probably have other stuff to do.—

Later than sooner, Haruka sprinted off, and the two brothers were once again left to fend on their own.

—I’m not sure I want them to catch up with us.— William told Artie as he took the first step forward. William wasn’t mean, nor selfish. At times, however, he was just too cold about many situations. It took him only a couple of seconds to calculate everything that could end right or wrong, and he had yet to find enough rights for this.

Three minutes passed as the pair ventured into the weald.

—Hey, Artie, d’you catch some snacks from the PC? I crave something sweet, do you have a choc–… Artie? Artemis! Damn it, Artie!—

His brother disappeared in thin air, so common.

—Where the hell did you go now!—

Knowing the brother, he had probably gone to pursue a hot chick. Maybe even the girls from some moments ago. William really hoped it wasn’t the latter, for now only he would be the one to abandon the crew and he would look like a douche. In any case, going back was of no use, so William continued walking forward. He knew they’d find him sooner or later. With his lighter as oriflamme, a raised forehead and a wide chest, he hiked through the gibbous paths hoping the rest of his newly formed team was ok. He’d use the time available to meditate and talk to himself. He wanted peace.

Hanako was surprisingly fast at running, when she was in this mode, nothing flat of a hard object could stop her. She ran and ran; she was trying to escape the taunting words of Akahana, and of her own self-conscious. Tears streamed from her eyes as the voice in her head mocked her with cruel words.

She turned one way and the word, “Pathetic” echoed out.

And then she’d turn another and, “You don’t deserve that Oshawatt” would echo. It got to be too much for Hanako and she finally collapsed to her and held her head while sobbing. She was hurting, and there was no one here to comfort her.

She cried and cried, maybe she could just go back to Professor Juniper and give back Seychelles and she could release Elizabetta.

It was then that a calming melody resonated through the air. Hanako sat there and listened to it, somehow it had a calming effect. Slowly her sobs quieted and she let the melody wash over her. Slowly the fear washed away, the voices that mocked her in her head stopped and she was left with nothing but the calming melody that echoed through the Route.

Hanako soon got to her feet and tried to follow the sound of the song, and soon she came upon a clearing. There stood a boy of about 17 dressed in a traditional male Japanese kimono.

Standing next to him was a Pokémon she’d only recognized from mythology books. Meloetta, so that’s where the calming melody had come from. The boy turned around and greeted her with a smile, “I wasn’t aware we had audience,” He chuckled amiably.

Hanako’s eyed the man warily, after the trauma from this morning she wasn’t taking any chances, it was then that she noticed how his right sleeve fell limply at his side, the boy just smiled amiably at her and said, “I lost my right arm in a Sharpedo accident, I wear a prosthetic sometimes but those tend to be a bit painful.”

It was then that Hanako approached the boy, if anyone wouldn’t judge her it would be him, “T-the song… was very pretty…” Hanako complimented bending down and petting the song pokemon on the head.

“It’s something I composed myself, I work for an acting troupe and Meloetta here is our main performer,” The male said gently.

“W-wow… Y-You can work without people,” She proceeded cautiously, “Without…staring?” The boy seemed to laugh at this which caused Hanako to flinch away.

“Oh, people stare,” Hanako eased up a bit, “But I got used to it, I’m never getting my arm back so why treat it like it’s a curse? Although, Masako was a big help with that—oh she’s the leader of the group,” The boy said as Hanako listened with interest, “Oh, I forgot to give you my name, Kiku by the way.

Hanako placed a hand over her face and nodded, “H-Hanako Ikezawa,” Hanako used her other hand to shake his hand.

Kiku was very polite and refrained from asking about her scars, although Hanako knew he was curious as he kept passing a side ward glance at them occasionally, she was less intimidated by him though because he understood.

“I…I don’t remember how I got them,” Hanako finally said, he seemed a little bit shocked by her answer, “When I woke up the doctor’s told me it was a house fire and that the trauma must have repressed my memory because my entire family died in the fire,” Hanako said solemnly to him.

In an attempt to ease the awkward atmosphere Kiku finally said,”Would you like to meet the rest of my group?” Hanako seemed to flinch at the prospect of socialization but then Kiku chuckled, “Don’t worry, many of them suffer from disabilities as well so you won’t be judged.”

The prospect interested Hanako, but after what happened with Akahana she wasn’t so sure, but some part of her didn’t register that and said, “S-Sure…”

The group was a short walk away from where they were but Hanako was surprised by how many people were actually in the troupe. Hanako could make out a few different people but they approached a red-haired English looking girl first, she was doing editing of some sort on an audio device.

“Alice?” Kiku said. This caused the girl to turn around quickly and gaze around absent mindedly to who had called out to her.

“I’m sorry… who?” Alice said, her voice calm and proper, but it was then that Hanako realized the English girl was blind, this was made distinctly obvious by the cane she held in her hand and how she stared absentmindedly into the air.

“She took off this morning and from what I’ve heard hasn’t been seen since,” Alice said. Kiku simply smiled at Alice even though Hanako wasn’t sure why, she couldn’t actually see them.

“I’ve actually brought a friend I’d like her to meet,” Kiku gestured to her as Alice stared blankly at the two.

“H-Hanako I-Ikezawa,” Hanako said unsure, and it was then that Alice realized someone else was actually there, she let out a light giggle.

“Oh my, I apologize for not acknowledging you sooner, Hanako,” She said formally, she seemed so mature for her age, “Alice, I work on all of the sound editing for the group.”

“H-How can you do that if you can’t see though..?” Hanako asked which only elicited a smile from Alice.

“My hearing is extremely sensitive because of my lack of eye sight, and I use braille to read the editing equipment,” Alice said, “Also it takes a lot of patience.”

Hanako nodded but then realizing Alice couldn’t actually see her she responded, “Y-yes!”

Alice chuckled lightly before turning to Kiku, “Oh, Aiko was saying how the set background was almost finished, you should probably go check on her,” Alice said.

Kiku sighed, “Alright, what about Meiko and Sarah?”

“Still hard at work cracking those codes,” Alice sighed.

“Alright, well, I’ll check on them too, I guess.”

After being formally introduced to Aiko, an artist who lost her arms due to a car accident and who had a blunt manner of speaking and Meiko a deaf-mute who cracked ancient texts and Sarah who was her partner-in-crime-slash-translator, Hanako wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself.

They were all friendly people who had treated her like an equal, they didn’t look down on her or bully her, it was nice for a change. Somehow, Hanako felt she would be okay.

???

Masako took off at the speed of a mad rabbit, two dark brown pig tails trailing behind her and brown eyes focused ahead.

“Crap, crap, crap, shit, fuck, crap, shit, shit, damn, fuck, damn,” Masako yelled in a flurry of words before running past Will in a hurry. How could she have been so late? Kiku was going to scold her for sure!

She ran and her legs made a distinct squeak as they hit the ground, “I’m laaaaate!” Masako yelled so loud a flock of pidove flew off as her voice resonated through the route, “Kiku is going to be so mad, CRAP. CRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAP.”

She yelled before half-slamming into Artemis, “Ouchies…” Masako said, rubbing her head, now on the ground her legs, or lack there-of were clearly visible, “Hasn’t anyone ever told you not to just stand around like a bunch of idiots?” Masako snapped at both Artemis and Valeria before her eyes suddenly darted to the watch on her arm, “OH SHIT I’M LATE!” She cried before hopping to her “feet” and huffing, “I’ll have to scold you lame people another time, I’MLATE!” She yelled before taking off again, darting faster than even Hanako had when she fled earlier.

The entire exchange itself had happened so fast, Artie had barely had time to register what had happened. One second Hanako was playing with a little dragon pokemon, the next she was being assaulted and run away crying. Artemis hadn't really grasped the situation, he'd been too busy staring at Valeria. 'Not staring', his inner voice muttered, 'simply sizing up. Examining. Evaluating. Even his inner monologue had turned against him. He snapped himself back to reality and sized up the unfolding scene. Valeria, in her typical fiery yet attractive nature sisterly compassion, had challenged Hanako's assailant and was proceeding to wipe the floor with her opponent.Say what you will, this girl's got moves.Oh no you don't.Whatever do you mean?Don't turn this into another Emilia situation.Now come on, that was hardly a situation.You still have that huge scar up your arm kid. 3 bystanders. 3 bystanders were hospitalised. Don't go being stupid now. Again. Do I have to set Will on you?Please, my brother wouldn't do anything. Why would he?Because he's the one who always has to clean up after your messes. Now pay attention, something interesting is happening.You always have ruin my fun, don't you?I wouldn't have to if you didn't always go after the crazies.As Artie's internal debate continued, the battle outside waged on. Artemis snapped to as Valeria assaulted the challenger. Valeria moved with a unique combination of grace and anger, using emotion and rage to fuel her painful strikes.

"Get the hell out of here, and get Deino to a Pokecenter. Don't you dare ever think about leaving him again. He's your friend, your partner, your defender. You owe it to him to live up to how great he thinks you are."

Okay. That was kinda hot.I knew you'd come round old friend. You always doValeria dashed away further into the route, running ahead of the group. It was probable that she was searching for her sister.

"So, that was pretty crazy, huh.""That's one word for it". Artie retorted, only now truly returning to the situation. Another voice piped up, one Artemis had only vaguely paid attention to up until this point."You know what, you guys? That chick did seem pretty tough. I think I should go help the girls."Will retorted before Artemis had a chance."It’s a good idea. Please, however, let the girls know we’ll continue on out path. They can meet us on the way there, they probably have other stuff to do."Will had always been the logical, calmed of the twins, the ice to Artie's fire. 'He's probably right. But...

"I’m not sure I want them to catch up with us." Will muttered as Haruka disappeared."Heh, come on brother, nothing like a bit of excitement to wake you up in the morning." Artie noticed a set of footprints leading away into the forest off the path. 'And speaking of excitement...' He broke off from Will, seemingly unnoticed. He'd make it up to him later, he had more important business right now. He walked around 300 metres before he spied her, resting upon a mossy boulder just ahead. She still looked a little shaken.

'Go for it.''I am not getting involved. You're on your own.'

'Hey, Vee," he called out as he approached the girl. "You alright? You ran off without us." He chose an adjacent rock to hers, before dropping to the ground. He smiled another killer smile before continuing. "Sounds like it got pretty personal back there, you alright?" He awaited a response before continuing. "That was a pretty impressive stunt back there. She's lucky to have you as a sister, you know." His gaze lingered in her deep grey eyes; a palpable tension in the air. He broke his gaze, before getting to his feet. "Come on, let's go catch up-" He was struck mid sentence sideways as a girl tumbled into him."Hasn't anyone ever told you not to just stand around like a bunch of idiots?” The newcomer remarked angrily before storming off past the pair. Artemis maintained a look of utter indignation before descending into hysterical laughter, collapsing onto the ground.

"What a morning, eh?" He chuckled, a look of stupid jubilation plastered on his mug.

Valeria inhaled slowly, soaking in through the pores of her skin the utter peacefulness and serenity of her forest surroundings. Valeria tended to be more practically oriented than her sister. For instance, ideals such as beauty, elegance, and visual appreciation never really appealed to her. She was less likely to use a book as an escape from reality than her little sister, and was more likely to leave her mark physically, either through swimming, hiking, exploring, or yes, fighting. Which was why it was jaw dropping that Valeria was actually taking this moment for herself to contemplate the silent and ancient forest, grappling with how many thousands of souls, some human, mainly Pokemon, had lived, traversed this path before her, and then died. They were here for a moment and then gone, just as Valeria herself soon would be.

Come on, girl. We have some living to do. Life isn't a spectator sport.

Valeria reminded herself, standing, stretching her lengthy limbs, and beckoning for her feline, who immediately sprang up to her shoulder. Valeria removed her thermos, uncapped it, and took a deep swing. Her cheeks were bulging with liquid as she chugged, no promise of stopping until-

"Hey Vee!" A masculine, alarmingly attractive voice called out. Valeria rejected the water forcefully from her body, emitting it in a rather projectile fashion, all over the ground. Disorientation clouded her face as her body struggled to clear her lungs of the fluid she had mistakenly inhaled. The afterwards effect was similar to somebody pulling out a half-drowned cat. Valeria was evidently not accustomed to the prey position.

"You alright? You ran off without us?" Artemis queried, to which Valeria merely shrugged.

"Well, I was until I nearly met my untimely end by choking to death." She retorted, though she did this in a playful way, her lips twisting up into a fiendish grin.

"And can you blame me for ditching? The estrogen levels spiking in that battle were enough to unhinge me." She replied, shaking her head at the memory of the unfortunate battle, and Akahana's irritating need to claim the position of top bitch.

"Sounds like it got pretty personal back there, you alright?" Artemis persisted, to which Valeria only smiled.

"After the battle, I'm sure all of Unova could tell that I was honestly furious enough to take on a Machamp, but surprisingly, I'm feeling much much better." Valeria grinned wickedly, flashing back to Akahana running from her, like a scared little Rattatta, and Valeria lunging with the precision of a Persian, wrapping her hands tightly around the girls throat, and jerking her up like a ragdoll. She wondered if Artemis was thinking of similar images. Valeria smiled sweetly at Artemis, angelically almost. Her grey eyes were no longer callous and cruel. Instead they glittered merrily, coyly, at the male in front of her.

"That was a pretty impressive stunt back there." Artemis confided, confirming Valeria's suspicion that he was reflecting on her brutality.

"She's lucky to have a sister like you, you know." Valeria shrugged once again, placing a hand on Artemis' shoulder and gazing meaningfully at him, moving in just a little bit closer.

"You figure out quick who in your life is worth protecting. Sometimes, you know from the very first time you meet a person that you would take a bullet, step in front of a train, or even take another person's life just to spare them the agony and torment that they will eventually encounter. It only takes a single moment for you to swear yourself to a person forever, no matter what the ultimate cost." Valeria removed her hands just as unexpectedly as she had placed it, and her eyes lost their meaningful glimmer. She turned away, and absentmindedly began screwing the cap back on her thermos.

There was a moment of silence, as each soul was suspended by the intensity of the words that had passed between them. And just like all of those lives, those sould who had come and gone, lived and perished before Artemis and Valeria, that moment too was gone.

"Come on, let's go catch up-" Artemis began, but was rudely interrupted by a third individual, a female by the looks of her, crashing inbetween them, ultimately colliding into both simultaneously and knocking them off balance. Valeria weebled and wobbled until she finally was able to stumble to a shaky standing position.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you not to stand around like a bunch of idiots?!" She growled, turning around momentarily to glower venomously at Valeria and Artemis.

Valeria's face was plastered with an expression of disbelief, and as she glanced at Artemis' reaction, she registered indignation. Her lips twitched into a secretive smile. He was cute when he was caught off guard. Artemis looked again to the vanishing figure, back to Valeria, and then burst into riotous laughter, falling carelessly into the damp dirt of the route. A single shedding leaf twirled, a ballerina suspended in the sunlight, and landed in his dark mane of hair.

"What a morning, eh?" He asked her.

Valeria grinned, but didn't let him remain in such a picture perfect pose for long. She grabbed him by the hand, yanking him up, and pulled him into a run.

"Come on!" She commanded, winking at Artemis.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going? Come back here and face us like a woman!" Valeria called out in mock anger, unable to contain her own laughter, which erupted from her in irregular, uneven peals. Her laugh wasn't at all pretty, but it was genuine. For a while, as the two weaved their way through the trees, blooming into various shades of auburn, saffron, and marigold, pushing their ways through clouds of swirling leaves, the soles of their shoes springing against the compacted damp earth, they remained side by side, as graceful and beautiful as two Liepards. But soon, Valeria, with a spurt of newfound speed, surpassed Artemis competitively, poking her tongue out as she sped past him intentionally, seemingly daring him to come get her. Artemis answered her challenge by speeding up as well, finally getting so close to her than he could reach out and touch her, when they finally caught sight of the girl who had initiated this race to begin with. With newfound purpose, the two raced towards the girl like two hound dogs on the trail of a Buneary, Valeria shouting,

"We've got you now!" The girl turned, and so did Valeria and Artemis, only to come up on a sort of camp hustling and bustling with a small army of people and Pokemon. Valeria and Artemis skiddeded clumsily to a halt, both equally startled, as they surveyed their new surroundings. It was then that Valeria's eyes widened, and she forgot all about the unfamiliarity of the situation as she saw somebody familiar.

"Hanako!" She shouted shamelessly, shoving past several bodies to reach the side of her sister, who was accompanied by some strange man. She narrowed her eyes at the unfamiliar male, but forgot about him for the time being, overcome with relief, and then infused with curiosity about her sister's current emotional state.

"Hanako, are you okay? I was so worried about you! Where did you run off to, kid?"

Hanako was startled by her sister’s sudden appearance on the scene. She smiled lightly at her, “I..I’m okay now…” Her voice trailed off, Kiku’s eyes were much more scrutinizing of Valeria though, but he didn’t say anything, instead turned his attention to the girl with the pig tails who had arrived shortly before Valeria and Artemis.

“Masako,” Kiku said calmly, “I’ve been looking for you, where have you been?”

“I was out training! Just because I lack legs doesn’t mean I’m going to stop running!” The new girl named Masako said through her panting, “Not everyone is as lazy as you, Kiku!” She grinned.

Hanako shyed away from the loud girl, she had a much more forceful presence unlike Kiku or Alice who seemed to have a mature aura about them. She turned her attention to Valeria but frowned when she saw Artemis. Hanako took a careful step back as if to distance herself from him, because he too had a forceful presence about him.

It also didn’t help that Artemis looked so much like the man in a memory that still haunted her, “I..I didn’t realize y-you and… him… were so close…” The sentence rolled off Hanako’s tongue and would’ve sounded bitter had her voice not come out sounding like a scared rabbit.

Hanako hadn’t been realizing that she’d been slowly backstepping from the two the entire time, trying to put some distance between her and Artemis. It was very clear that Hanako felt extremely uncomfortable around him.

It was Kiku who picked up on this and finally said, “Are these your friends, Hanako?” He smiled gently at the two but the gentle smile held a cold and distant undertone which Hanako didn’t pick up. Hanako relaxed a little when he spoke and gave a fractional nod.

“Y-yes, this is my adoptive sister—H-huh?!” She was cut off as Masako approached her and basically started examining her. Hanako let out a squeak as Masako basically forced her face into Hanako’s, her emerald green eyes seemed to be scurtizining her and she was about to flee again until Masako took Hanako’s hands in her and grinned.

Hanako just stood there, she was still a sickly shade of mint green but she could breathe again. Letting out a slow breath as she slowly sank to her knees, trying to control her hammering heart. What a day it had been, first Akahana now Masako? She couldn’t get a break could she.

But wait…

Masako had called her scars beautiful, that was certainly a first. Hanako felt her entire perception of herself was being shaken to it’s core. Were they really beautiful or was Masako just the exception?

She got to her feet after slowly regaining her composure and her eyes flitted towards Valeria's, "I-I'm sorry for running off..." She muttered, although she would gladly speak with Valeria, she wouldn't come within arms length of Artemis.